Tag: ebooks

Sale price of downloaded ebooks has been reduced by GBP 1.00 today until 31May2025

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Today I set up new sale prices for downloading the 2nd editions of my latest ebooks (see ‘2nd Edition ebooks of “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” have been published today’).

From today until 31May2025 the sale prices for downloading these ebooks from my blog site will be GBP 1.00 less than usual:

Remember that this sale will end automatically on 31May2025 (UK time)!!

Enjoy………….Phil

2nd Edition ebooks of “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” have been published today

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2nd Edition ebook versions of my 2024 books, “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC”, have been published today on Lulu.com and my blog site. Paperback versions will be published shortly on Lulu.com and for global distribution (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.).

The Second Edition of each book now includes information about both the 2024 and 2025 releases of Altair SLC.

Follow the links below for more details:

Did you download the First Edition ebook from my blog site? If you did, then please find your confirmation email for that ebook, because the download link will now download the Second Edition at no extra cost!!

I have Retired, the Sun is Shining, and the World has not Ended!! 10 Ways to Get the Most SAS Value from my Retirement…

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To me retirement only means not earning a salary from my SAS programming, which will, from now on, become a pure hobby. I will also be concentrating on programming using Altair Analytics Workbench and Altair SLC, rather than using SAS Software.

However, there are still ways for everyone to get SAS Value from my 40+ years of SAS programming:

No.1 = 1/2 day SAS training, including digital training materials, for GBP 1,800

No.2 = 1 month of confidential online support with unlimited questions for GBP 720

No.3 = 1 hour of 1-to-1 SAS video discussion for GBP 100

  • Book your hour of SAS video discussion.
  • Video discussions use Jitsi Meet, which is limited to 100 participants.
  • Topics include:
    • Base SAS syntax
    • Base SAS functions
    • Base SAS formats and informats
    • Base SAS procedures
    • Data step merging
    • PROC SQL syntax
    • PROC SQL merging
    • PROC SQL updating
    • Macro introduction
    • Macro syntax
    • Macro variables
    • ODS Graphics introduction
    • ODS Graphics procedures
    • Altair Analytics Workbench and Altair SLC introduction

No.4 = 1 confidential remote question for GBP 72

No.5 = 1 ebook copy of course notes to one of my SAS courses from around GBP 11

  • My SAS course notes are published as ebooks on Lulu.com, who, unlike Amazon, etc., do not take massive commissions, so I receive most of the published price.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

No.6 = 1 ebook copy of one of my SAS books directly from my blog site for around GBP 12.50

  • “Saving Time and Money using SAS” is no longer sold in softback, but you can download the ebook directly from my blog site.
  • See my Book Table for details of this and other ebooks.
  • More ebooks about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.8 = 3 months of subscription to the SAS Programming Forum, including access to my online SAS course collection, for 3 x GBP 5

  • Details of what the SAS Programming Forum is can be found here.
  • See how to subscribe to the SAS Programming Forum, including my online SAS course collection, here.

No.8 = 1 copy of one of my SAS paperback books from around GBP 10.25 or SAS ebooks from around GBP 4.75 from Lulu.com

  • See my Book Table for more details.
  • More books and ebooks about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.9 = 1 copy of one of my SAS softback books from a reseller from around GBP 25

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from softback books sold, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.
  • More books about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.10 = 1 copy of one of my SAS ebooks from a reseller from around GBP 3

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from ebooks sold by resellers, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

After a day without my blog, I value the time to remind you that I am retiring at the end of 31Mar2025

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Yes, I am retiring from paid contracts on 31Mar2025, and my company (Holland Numerics Ltd) will be closed in a few months time.

However, retiring will never be as stressful as the blog server downtime (now resolved!) I experienced this weekend! I have been trying to create a “low maintenance” environment for my blog and ancillary activities, and I want to leave my blog members and clients still able to:

Asking questions can be done in a number of ways:

All this will continue, but will be supported by just myself, and not my company, after my retirement.

I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books

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I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books to add to my recently published book about Altair SLC. They will look into a range of aspects and programming using full licences, unlike my previous book that concentrated on the free Community Edition (now called the Personal Edition), and also more advanced aspects available in the Personal Edition, but not included in my previous book, such as Workflows, clinical data analysis and ODBC database connections.

What information would you like to read more about in the new books?

I have already been trying out the Communicate and Link features of Altair SLC, and hope to extend this to the Hub very soon.

My provisional book titles are:

  • Advanced Altair SLC
  • Altair SLC for Business Users
  • Altair SLC for Companies

Thanks in advance….…Phil

Altair Community post: I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (paperback)

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (paperback)

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Order Now!
About the Book

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The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples. Topics included:
  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python
Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here. Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!
Details
Author: Philip R Holland
Genre: Computer Programming Language
Tags: Altair Analytics Workbench, Altair SLC, data step, graphics, ODS Graphics, PROC SGPLOT, programming, Python, R, Recommended Books, sas, VSCode, windows
Publisher: Lulu.com
Publication Year: 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 104
List Price: £10.25
Phil has used SAS on all of the platforms, mainframe, UNIX, and Windows. If Mac was a platform, Phil would take you as reader there, too. He takes you to Altair SLC, R, and Python, where you can be a user of the SAS language, and those two ever more popular adjuncts to SAS, without the expense of a SAS licence, and clarifies the differences between SAS Software and Altair SLC. The book includes a graphics capabilities tour with the various tools in its scope. Nowhere else available is the chapter devoted to Altair SLC for Clinical Trials, which is like a book-guided Hands-On Workshop self-help get-acquainted tutorial. The book will take you to places that nobody else would take you. Explore it and explore SAS.
– LeRoy Bessler, Bessler Consulting and Research
Order Now
Buy from Lulu
Share
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (PDF) – Second Edition

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (PDF) – Second Edition

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Order Now!
About the Book

Loading

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Details
Author: Philip R Holland
Genre: Computer Programming Language
Tags: Altair Analytics Workbench, Altair SLC, data step, graphics, ODS Graphics, PROC SGPLOT, programming, Python, R, Recommended Books, sas, VSCode, windows
Publisher: Lulu.com
Publication Year: 2025
Format: PDF
Length: 103
List Price: £5.50
eBook Price: £5.50
Phil has used SAS on all of the platforms, mainframe, UNIX, and Windows. If Mac was a platform, Phil would take you as reader there, too. He takes you to Altair SLC, R, and Python, where you can be a user of the SAS language, and those two ever more popular adjuncts to SAS, without the expense of a SAS licence, and clarifies the differences between SAS Software and Altair SLC. The book includes a graphics capabilities tour with the various tools in its scope. Nowhere else available is the chapter devoted to Altair SLC for Clinical Trials, which is like a book-guided Hands-On Workshop self-help get-acquainted tutorial. The book will take you to places that nobody else would take you. Explore it and explore SAS.
– LeRoy Bessler, Bessler Consulting and Research
Order Now
Download sale price £4.00 until 31May2025
Buy from Lulu
Download for £5.00
Share
Facebook Twitter Google+
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Special offer to celebrate my birthday in September failed! :-( However, I will reduce my ebook prices on 3 days in October instead! :-)

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Nobody, and I mean nobody, replied in time to my celebration post with suggestions for discounted prices for my “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” ebooks, so I will not be able to reduce their prices in September.

However, I will reduce my ebook prices for 3 days in October instead!

From 2-4 October 2024 the ebook download prices will be reduced, and downloading these ebooks from this site will also allow you to freely download them again when a new edition is published:

This offer will start at 09:00 (UK time) on 2 October 2024 and end at 21:00 (UK time) on 4 October 2024!!

Enjoy while you can!

Special offer to celebrate my birthday: I will set discounted prices for my 2 latest ebooks for just 3 days in September 2024 using the prices you include in your replies to this post.

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The discounted prices will be the median of the first 25 different prices you post in GBP, but there can be no duplicates and no prices less than the specified minimum values!! Those that reply correctly will be informed about which 3 days in September will have these prices, but, if there are less than 25 replies, no prices will be changed. After these 3 days the prices will return to the Lulu and download prices below.

“SAS Programming Experiences”
– minimum value = £3.50 (Lulu price = £7.50, download = £7.00)

“Altair SLC”
– minimum value = £2.50 (Lulu price = £5.50, download = £5.00)

Posts must be made on this blog site, and not in LinkedIn, X or Mastodon, and you will need to have registered for Free membership, and logged onto the blog, to post your price!

Use it, or Lose it! 10 Ways of Getting the Most SAS Value from my Retirement…

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To me retirement only means not earning a salary from my SAS programming, which will, from now, become a pure hobby. However, to program in SAS AND to be able to get access to all of its components, including Enterprise Guide, batch processing, and the Program Editor, the SAS licence has to be paid for. For me this would amount to paying around GBP 3,000 a year, and so I have drawn up a list of ways that you can contribute to that total, but at the same time benefit from my 40+ years of SAS programming, and 30+ years as an independent SAS consultant, working in the banking, insurance, IT, pharmaceutical, HR and marketing business sectors, and on IBM mainframe, OS/2, VAX, Unix, Windows and Linux.

Any excess income will be used to extend my SAS licence into the following year. I’m planning to use this income from April 2025, so we now have a few months to raise sufficient funds.

-51Days remaining -12Hours -45Minutes -47Seconds

The following are grouped into group¹ (for companies or collaborating individuals) and individual² options:

For Companies or Collaborating Individuals¹:

No.1 = 1/2 day SAS training, including digital training materials, for GBP 1,800

No.2 = 1 month of confidential online support with unlimited questions for GBP 720

No.3 = 1 day of remote SAS programming for GBP 600

No.4 = 1 hour of 1-to-1 SAS video discussion for GBP 100

  • Book your hour of SAS video discussion.
  • Video discussions use Jitsi Meet, which is limited to 100 participants.
  • Topics include:
    • Base SAS syntax
    • Base SAS functions
    • Base SAS formats and informats
    • Base SAS procedures
    • Data step merging
    • PROC SQL syntax
    • PROC SQL merging
    • PROC SQL updating
    • Macro introduction
    • Macro syntax
    • Macro variables
    • ODS Graphics introduction
    • ODS Graphics procedures
    • Enterprise Guide introduction
    • SAS/Studio introduction

For Individuals²:

No.5 = 1 confidential remote question for GBP 72

No.6 = 1 ebook copy of course notes to one of my SAS courses from GBP 11

  • My SAS course notes are published as ebooks on Lulu.com, who, unlike Amazon, etc., do not take massive commissions, so I receive most of the published price.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

No.7 = 1 ebook copy of one of my SAS books directly from my blog site for GBP 12.50

  • “Saving Time and Money using SAS” is no longer sold in softback, but you can download the ebook directly from my blog site.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

No.8 = 3 months of subscription to the SAS Programming Forum, including access to my online SAS course collection, for 3 x GBP 5

  • Details of what the SAS Programming Forum is can be found here.
  • See how to subscribe to the SAS Programming Forum, including my online SAS course collection, here.

No.9 = 1 copy of one of my SAS paperback books from GBP 10.25 or SAS ebooks from GBP 4.75 from Lulu.com

No.10 = 1 copy of one of my SAS softback books from a reseller from GBP 25

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from softback books sold, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

No.11 = 1 copy of one of my SAS ebooks from a reseller from GBP 3

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from ebooks sold by resellers, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

SAS training for home-workers: Keeping your mind active and your skills current

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I have been working from home on and off since 1996, so it now feels quite normal to start my work day by walking from my kitchen into my office. I know some of my colleagues have struggled with the many distractions that exist at home, so I suppose I’ve been lucky, but I still do not like doing nothing at all. To stop any boredom setting in I will look for ways to do something useful, and, over the years, I have taught myself many programming languages by reading books, running example code, and trying to write applications that will be useful day-to-day, for example:

  • Database applications for calculating hours left to work and printing invoices in Visual Basic.
  • Web applications to send me emails and SMS messages in Perl.
  • Smartphone apps for webOS (remember HP/Palm phones?) in Javascript and HTML5.
  • Smartphone apps for Android in Java.
  • Crossword puzzle word-finder scripts in LibreOffice Basic.
  • SAS Enterprise Guide custom tasks in VB.Net.
  • SAS Studio custom tasks in XML.

Each language presents a different set of problems and solutions, so each new solution will broaden your knowledge of the computer world. Not all language have been central to my day job, but my views on solving computer problems has been moulded by each new programming language I’ve used. In 1996 there was no significant online help, so you couldn’t easily ask anyone for help, but instead you had to rely on hints and tips in computer magazines. Later the online communities have become vital, but you will now have to ask your questions in the correct way, so that it will be understood by each community, as names are not necessarily consistent, otherwise your question is likely to be ignored. I’ve now found ways to improve the chances of my questions being answered, even if my problems are not always resolved:

  • Write a subject line that asks a question that could be answered, otherwise it probably won’t even be read.
  • Set the scene by describing the environment you are working in, such as operating system, and software language and version.
  • Describe in as much detail as you can what you are trying to do, what you have already tried, and any results/messages that you are getting, even if you don’t understand them.
  • Never assume that you’re problem can be solved, but work with anyone who offers you assistance.
  • Be humble and grateful, because there will be programmers out there who know more about this than you, and you might need to call on their skills again.

So what has all this got to do with SAS training? Well, thanks to COVID-19, there are now more home-workers than ever before, and in some cases the work available may not be filling your day, so what can you do to fill your spare time and improve your programming knowledge? I have gathered together some sources of SAS training and information which are either free or inexpensive, which you may find useful, and if you find out about any more, then post a comment and I’ll be happy to check them out:

  • Training courses:
    • My corporate SAS training courses are intended for large groups, but each course has an associated eBook that is much cheaper and available through the Training section on this site.
    • I have a low-cost forum with a monthly subscription called the SAS Programming Forum, which welcomes SAS programming questions, but also includes the SAS course with a growing number of SAS-related topics, such as Data Steps, SAS Macros and PROC SQL, either as individual posts or LMS courses.
    • If you prefer to learn from eBooks or Android apps, then the topics in the SAS course are also available as eBooks and Android apps (on Amazon Appstore and Google Play).
  • Papers and books:
    • The Conferences Paper section on this site is filled with papers covering a wide range of SAS-related topics, which can be downloaded for free.
    • Other SAS-related books can be bought through the Books section on this site.
    • The largest searchable collection of SAS-related conference papers is maintained by Lex Jansen, including papers from SUGI, SeUGI, regional SAS user groups and forums, VIEWS, PhUSE, PharmaSUG and SAS Global Forum.
  • Competitive learning:
    • Sasensei is a SAS-related quiz and learning site where the flashcards, questions and quizzes are contributed by the users, and you earn points and awards from contributions and correct answers, but you will always learn from your incorrect answers too.
  • SAS support:
  • SAS programming platforms for learning:
    • SAS University Edition is free for use as a learning platform, and can either be downloaded and installed on your laptop using VMware or VirtualBox, or accessed through the web on the AWS Cloud.
    • WPS Analytics Community Edition is a free version of WPS Analytics, which can be licensed from World Programming for 6 months at a time and installed on your PC, and can run SAS programs using quite a large subset of SAS programming features, and includes R and Python interfaces.

I think that should at least get you started on your SAS improvement projects!